The World Between Worlds
by Kiaira
Summary: Syaoran was seperated from his mother when the ship they were on caught fire and sank. He washes up on a small island with a small town. He is given the job of gardener of a aviary. This town is not what it seems, and Syaoran quickly realizes this town is not like any world he has ever known, where anything and everything can happen, and not always for the better...
1. Prologue

**A/N:** This is a fanfic I started to write and was posting before. I took it down, as I just didn't have my heart in it. I put it aside for a while, and began to work on it again. Here is a more…cleaned up version of what I began to write before. Enjoy

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura. Clamp does. I am just a fangirl, who has a sick need to write Original fiction…and then change my characters name, and descriptions to characters, whom I do not own. So….just read and enjoy. Come on…its free literature. Enjoy!

The World between Worlds

Prologue

The fire was hot, bitter and unforgiving. It was smouldering, and it was devouring everything in its path. In this case it was the ship, and all who was on board. A woman held her son and attempted to shield him from the hot flames. While he was somewhat protected from the heat by her body, the smoke was still beginning to choke him. The mother was sitting at the edge of the deck. She secretly was hoping that a breeze would come their way and make it easier for them to breath. As crazy as it sounded to stay there, she actually thought that choking to death on smoke would have been a better way to go rather than drowning in the ocean below.

Most of the ship's crew and guests were already in there. A few were lucky enough to make it to a lifeboat, but there weren't many of them that survived the fire that swept the ship. And the ones that were launched only had two or three people each, while they were made for ten. They were rowing away at good speed, leaving the swimmers to drown before they had any hope of reaching the boats.

A tear rolled down the woman's cheek, dropping on the small child's forehead. Curiously, he looked up. His face was wet with tears as well. He sniffled as he brought a hand up to his mother's cheek. She sobbed harder, but her amber eyes met his matching ones. She smiled weakly and gave him a comforting hug.

"I want you to know that I love you more than anything else in the world," she whispered. "You're my little angel."

"Mom, I'm scared," she cried.

"I'm scared too," she replied. She began to stroke his head. She coughed as she stoked on the smoky air, but in-between gasps of air she began to hum louder and stroked him softer. "Close your eyes, and just relax."

She knew that was a lot to ask her son to do; to ask him to relax in this kind of situation. Her son was only nine years old, but he was far from dumb. He knew the situation just as well as she did. She just stayed in her place and hummed to him. Every so often she rocked him to comfort him. And it began hotter as the fire burned closer and hotter toward them. The smoke was becoming thicker and stronger, causing the two to cough harder. She held him to her to shield him, though she knew it would be inevitable in the end.

More sweat was falling down her brow now as the heat intensified. And she just wished that they would choke already. To just lose conciseness seemed like the easier way to go, rather than burning to death. She would rather not die that way, not since she knew she would be burning in hell for all time once she crossed over anyway. She'd rather die peacefully with her son in her arms. Even if that was before she would face an eternity in hell.

An even worse thought.

The thought that her little angel being there with her. He didn't deserve that. She did, but he didn't. She silently prayed in the back of her mind, to not only take them swiftly, but that her son would have a chance. All children were born innocent, weren't they? Her son was only nine. Too young to have done anything that would land him to eternal damnation. And he had been nothing but a joy in her life. He was a bright, joyful, playful and wonderful son.

'_Please take him peacefully_,' she thought as she ended her prayer.

She repeated this prayer over and over in her head. She coughed and gasped as the smoke got even worse as the fire neared. Her son did the same. His coughing was by far worse, and his gasping was painful to listen to. Then it got quieter.

Then he was silent.

The woman closed her eyes, tightly when she realized why. Her tears fell, but not from the smoke that was burning at her eyes. It was because her little angel was gone. And yet, she didn't cry because he was gone. This was because, this was far from a bad thing. It was because he has crossed over before the flames had gotten to them.

The heat was burning her skin now, which made her scream, but still, she didn't move from her spot. Instead, she pulled her limp son's body closer to her. She was ready for this. Her son was gone, and she would be too soon. She just prayed that her little Syaoran was going to be safe. Where ever he was going to end up.

"I love you," she whispered as she pressed her lips to his forehead one last time.


	2. Clow Reed

**A/N:** I had a bit of a tricky time editing this chapter. It seems to be a lot clearer than it was last time I worked on this chapter. Please enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura. Clamp does. I am just a fangirl, who has a sick need to write Original fiction…and then change my characters name, and descriptions to characters, whom I do not own. So….just read and enjoy. Come on…its free literature. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Syaoran did wake up.

He was on the shore of what looked like a beach. He was lying in the wet sand, just as some cold waves rolled over his tiny body. The air was warm, but the ocean water was bitterly cold. It was still dark, but the sky was becoming lighter. It was early morning, or perhaps it was late in the evening. He wasn't sure. He could see out in the direction of the ocean, but he found that it was misty and foggy in all other directions.

Syaoran sat on his knees and looked around. The pyjamas that he had been wearing the night before were soaked through, ripped and filthy. The smell of sea weed was everywhere, but there was no sign of seaweed being littered on the beach at the moment.

Slowly he stood from his sitting position, and rose up. His small feet sink a little in the wet sand, but he didn't take the time to notice this because his arms and he rubbed his arms and chest. He was so cold, and he was wet from head to toe. He stopped to sneeze once, but then he continued on. After a few steps, he found himself lost in some fog he hadn't noticed before. It was so thick that he couldn't see very far in front of him. He looked around, trying to find any sort of movement or shape against the fog. He searched for several minutes, while lost and confused. After these minutes past, he saw something tall and dark in the distance. It was a dark form that was moving and was coming toward him. He didn't move, but he continued to rub his arms as he tried to warm himself up.

The figure stopped in front of him. Now Syaoran could see him clearly. It was a tall man, who towered over Syaoran even more than most people did. The nine year old looked up at him with curiosity and wonder. The man didn't seem surprised to see Syaoran, especially in the condition he was in. His brown eyes searched over the young boy for only a moment before he knelt down to face Syaoran at his level. He looked at him with a soft gentleness that Syaoran didn't understand. Then he extended his hand out to Syaoran. He stared at the extended hand for a few moments. This caused Syaoran to fight with himself over if he should trust this person or not.

"I lost my mommy," Syaoran whispered. He looked down at his feet, feeling very alone and worried about that had happened to his mother.

The man nodded and spoke, "I'm here to take you to your new home. Your mother is elsewhere, for now."

"But where is she? I want my mom," Syaoran cried. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

"She couldn't be here with you," he replied. "I'm here to take care of you now. Come with me now. It was your mother's last wish."

Syaoran didn't understand. He was unsure, and he didn't know what to say or do. He was all by himself, and he had no idea where he was, or where his mother was. He didn't know if he should go with this man, or run far away from him. The man placed a comforting hand on Syaoran's shoulder. He gave him an assuring smile. "I am Clow Reed, but you can call me Clow."

Syaoran looked up at the man again. He was unsure what to do. He seemed nice enough and sincere to his words, bit Syaoran had always been told by his mother to not trust just anyone. That they could turn around and hurt you when you least expected it. Syaoran reached out and took Clow's hand. His touch was warm to his freezing hands. Clow stood up, and tugged a little on his hands, urging Syaoran to follow. "We'll get you out of those wet clothes, and get you something to eat."

"A-alright," Syaoran replied in a low whispering tone. With his hand in Clow's he followed him through the fog. He couldn't see anything, but Clow seemed to be quite sure of the direction they were going in. He gave Clow's hand a squeeze as they began to climb a small stone set of stairs. After almost five steps, the fog began to thin, and Syaoran could begin to see things much clearer in front of him. He was surprised to see a few stapes in front of him. They appeared to be small, but they also appeared to be closely the same in shape. House, he though. They were all wooden houses. They all lined up in a row, and the streets were cobblestone. Once they reached the top of the stairs, the fog was completely gone, and all that remained was the sight of a small town. Tall narrow trees with no branches were scattered everywhere. The only foliage on them was the top with large and long leaves, and on some of the trees there were round balls of what looked like coarse fur. Somewhere scattered on the ground below the trees, and Syaoran could see them in better detail, but he didn't know what they were. Syaoran had never seen such trees before in his life.

It was still dark out, but it was quickly becoming lighter out, letting him know it was close to sunrise.

As they entered the town, Syaoran could see further, and could see some buildings further in the distance. There was a few that looked like they were mansions, and a few others that looked like small houses. It was hard to see any class differences between them, and he wasn't sure which direction they were heading in. Clow was looking straight ahead and didn't look down at Syaoran as they walked; but then he came to a stop, and looked down at Syaoran. He only glanced at Clow for a second before he looked at where they were stopped in front of a large two story building. There was a little light coming from the windows, but there was also soft music coming from inside. Clow knocked on the door and took a step back, taking a moment to look at Syaoran and smile.

"We'll get you a bath first, and then we'll get you some dinner before we put you to bed," Clow explained to Syaoran.

"We?"

"Sonomi, the owner of this inn, and me," Clow explained. "She's letting you stay here tonight, so you better be polite and thank her for her kindness."

When Clow finished speaking, the door to the Inn opened and a tiny woman peered out at them. She opened the door more and motioned for them to enter on their own. Clow motioned for Syaoran to go inside, and hesitantly Syaoran went inside. He moved past Sonomi, and looked inside the room where he was greeted with a few glances from people sitting at a few pub tables scattered in the large main room of the Inn. As he moved inside he was more noticed by the patrons, who in turn looked at him as he moved inside. He stopped when he heard the door behind him close, and looked at Clow and Angel when he heard the sound; he was greeted by Sonomi's stern expression. She was pointing to a doorway across the bar and her expression made Syaoran feel a little self cautious. He turned back again and headed towards the doorway, his small hands were resting on his chest in a frightened manor.

He went inside as he reached the doorway and found a small bathing tub inside and a small chair was resting beside it. He glanced back at Sonomi and Clow who followed him inside the small room. Angel rolled up her sleeves as she moved toward Syaoran. When she reached him, she looked at him with her stern eyes, "C'mon now, take off your clothes so we can get you bathed."

Syaoran lightly blushed at her command suddenly realizing what she wanted him to do. It wasn't like he had ever undressed in front of anyone before besides his mother. And so far he didn't like Sonomi. She was stern and rather cold towards him, making him distrust her, but he still listened and began to undress. He started with his shirt, and unbuttoned it before slipping it off. Clow gladly took if from him and folded it in his arms, and did the same with his pants. The tub was rather large, and easily came up to Syaoran's chest. There was already water inside, and light steam was running off the top. Sonomi gave a long sigh as she reached over and lifted Syaoran up and placed him in the warm water.

Even though Syaoran didn't like Sonomi so far, he didn't look at her with thankful eyes as his body warmed in the bath water. He was only in the bath for a few moments when Sonomi began rubbing Syaoran's scalp with some soap. She rubbed up lather throughout his messy thick hair. "Take the cloth and wash yourself," she ordered.

He complied and did as she said. The last he wanted was for her to repeat herself. She didn't seem like she wouldn't be so kind if she had to repeat herself. He took the cloth that hung over the side of the tub and soaked it before he began to wipe away at his arms, neck and face. He was surprised to find the cloth was black after he wiped it. He turned to Clow who smiled.

"Finally, a clean face," he stated.

Syaoran wasn't sure why his face was so black. What had happened to him before he woke up? What had happened to his mother? Where was she now? Was she safe?

"Close your eyes," Sonomi ordered again. After he closed his eyes, she poured a bucket of warm water over his head. He shut his eyes tighter as the soap ran down his face, and he held his breath. After the bucket ran out of water, he exhaled, but his eyes remained closed. Angel dipped the bucket back into the tub and held it over his head once again. He took in another deep breath, and she did the same. She smiled after the bucket was empty. She stood and put the bucket aside.

"There you go," she stated, reaching for a clean towel and held it out to him. He held onto the side of the tub and tired to climb out of the high tube. Clow came over to help him. He lifted him out of the tube the same way that Sonomi had put him in. Once out on his own Sonomi passed him the towel. "I'll get you something clean to wear."

Sonomi left the room, leaving the two by themselves. He began to wipe himself dry. Clow took a seat in a chair and smiled at Syaoran. After you're dressed, you'll get something to eat, then we'll put you to bed for the night."

Syaoran covered himself with the towel and lightly nodded. "Is my mom alright?" Clow looked at him with a soft face. He looked at him with eyes that were kind, but yet he remained silent. "Clow?"

"She's not where she needs to be, not yet at least," he answered.

"What does that mean? Where is she?"

"She's going to be judged tomorrow, but don't you worry, she will be fine."

"Judged? What for? What did my mom do?" Syaoran cried.

The door opened again, and Sonomi appeared with a long sleeping robe. She looked at him annoyed. "You need to quiet down; I can hear you all the way up the stairs."

She passed him the robe, and took the towel from him. The cold air hit his nude body, making him slip on the robe as fast as he could. Once he had it on, Angel began ushering him out of the bathing room. It wasn't until they were outside the room that he noticed all the patrons eyes were on him. He searched around the room, and blushed embarrassed that so many people had their eyes on him. He looked up at Clow who seemed to not notice, and motioned him to go to the bar. He was surprised, but he moved over and climbed on the bar stool, but he managed and sat up right on his own. He faced the bar and looked up at Sonomi who was placing down a mug of water and a small loaf of bread.

He took it and began to eat it down as fast as he could. He ate half of the load in almost no time at all before he grabbed the mug and drank it greedily. Sonomi stared at him with surprise, and looked at Clow before she looked back at him. He sighed as he finished the water. He placed it back down and then returned to eating the rest of the load of bread. He didn't realize just how hungry he was until he had seen the food, even if it was just a measly piece of bread. When he finished the bread, he looked up at Sonomi who didn't seem amused with just how fast he had eaten the bread. Syaoran knew that it was rude for him to eat like he had, but he was hungry, and so manors were out of the question for him at the moment.

"Are you done?"

"Yes," Syaoran replied.

"Good, Come up stairs, I have a bed you can sleep in," She said.

Clow helped Syaoran down from the tall bar chair. When he was down, Clow smiled at the young boy.

"I must be going, so I will see you in the morning. Sonomi will take care of you." He nodded slowly and watched the mysterious man leave the bar. He looked back at Sonomi when she took him by the hand. She motioned for him to follow her up the stairs. He moved with her, following her every step up the stairs. Her hand was still locked with his as they stopped in front of a small room. She pushed open the door, and Syaoran saw a small bed inside. She let go of his hand and lightly pushed him forward. He looked up at her for only a moment, before he moved toward the bed. Her drew back the covers, and slowly crawled up into the bed. He positioned himself in the bed, and drew them back up. He laid back and looked at Sonomi in the doorway. She watched him for a moment, and then closed the door behind herm leaving Syaoran to fall into a restless slumber.

**A/N:** Please review. Tell me what you think!


	3. The Aviary

Chapter 2

When Syaoran did wake up the next morning from a very rough night of going in and out of sleep, his eyes felt sore and heavy. He sat up, his brown eyes struggled to stay open and focus. He used his small fingers to try and rub the heavy bits of sleep out of his eyes as he tried to see around the room. The light was coming in through the shear curtains and the light was coming into the room perfectly. Or imperfectly, as it woke him up. He shifted his body, and moved to get out of the bed. He pushed his body off and his short legs shit the ground. He balanced himself for a moment before he slowly walked to the door. He turned the doorknob with his small hand, and opened the door. It moved with a loud creak, and caused him to hear movements below him. He looked down to the front of the stairs directly in front of him. He could see Sonomi peeking up at him.

She motioned for him to come downstairs. "Come on, come get some breakfast."

Syaoran was unsure. He was use to Clow being here with Sonomi and him. She was a hard woman, young, but with the attitude of a very bitter old man. He half expected her to smack him over the head, but her anger so far had only been verbal attacks here and there. Not to keep her waiting, he hurried down the stairs and met her at the bottom. "I made some porridge," she stated, pointing him in the direction of a table by the bar. It was already set up, and the porridge was on the table. "Come eat it before it gets cold."

"Yes," he replied, moving past her to the table. Taking a seat he looked at the breakfast before him. A smile bowl of porridge, and a class of water. He looked at the water first and drank half of it down, and then picked up the spoon and began to take large mouthfuls of the food. Sonomi sat down across from him with her own bowl, and began eating silently. Syaoran did the same, eating on his own in silence, until the Inn's door opened and Clow came inside.

He was dresses in the same long robes as he wore yesterday. Whites and soft baby yellows. He had the same smile on his lips that he always seemed to have, and gave Syaoran a kind pat on the head. "Did you sleep alright?"

Syaoran knew that it was polite to say he did sleep well, but he missed his mother, and wanted Clow to know that. "No...I didn't sleep well. I was worried about my mother."

Clow nodded. "I understand." He didn't seem surprised or disappointed; he just seemed to understand what was going on with the young child. He turned to Sonomi with a smile. "Thank you for making breakfast for him."

She folded her arms and sighed. "It's not like I had a choice, did I? I couldn't let him go hungry."

Clow rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say."

Clow looked at Syaoran who had finished his bowl of porridge while the two adults spoke. He used his napkin to wipe his face clean, and then he looked over at Sonomi who was still frowning and crossing her arms. "Thank you for the food."

Sonomi looked at him. She tilted her head and then nodded. "You're welcome."

"Syaoran, why don't you get dressed, and I'll show you around," Clow suggested.

Syaoran nodded, "Okay."

"I put some clothes put aside on the night stand," Sonomi answered from across the table. Without another word she stood and began to clean the table up. Clow moved to help, but Sonomi shooed him off with a glare. He chuckled and gathered them anyway and helped her bring them to the basin behind her.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Syaoran was dressing into the clean clothes that Sonomi had laid out for him. He dressed in a grey button up and brown slacks. He used the suspenders, and attached them to his pants. There were no shoes however. He looked around and found nothing for him to wear on his feet. He gave up on looking for shoes for him to swear, so he instead folded his sleep wear and placed them on the once. Once he was ready he moved down stairs and met the two at the foot.

"No shoes?" Clow asked Sonomi.

She growled. "It was hard enough finding clothes that fit let alone shoes."

"It can't be helped. We'll have some made for you," Clow explained. "I'll go see Faye tonight about a pair."

"Good, now if you excuse me, I have to begin preparations for opening" Sonomi explained pointing to the door. Even Syaoran knew that was her way of telling them to get out. Syaoran moved to Clow's side, and was ready to leave. Clow didn't give Sonomi a chance to repeat herself, and the two left together.

"Where are we going?" Syaoran asked.

"Once we get through the village we'll make it to the forest. There is a path there to take us up to the aviary. That is out destination," Clow explained.

Syaoran didn't know what an aviary was, but he admitted that he liked the sound of the word. It sounded, almost mystical to him; though he was sure it couldn't have been so. He was going to ask what it was, but he paused, realizing that he was going to find out soon enough anyway. He walked beside Clow on his bare feet. The cobblestone didn't bother him, but the lose pebbles that dig into his feet did. He tip toed along most of the way, but Clow didn't seem to notice, or perhaps he didn't take the time to notice. Clow was busy pointing out all the stores and such to Syaoran.

"That's the supply store. Early on Saturday mornings, there is a farmers market, where you'll sell vegetables and fruits."

"I'll be selling food?"

"We'll get into more detail about that once we get into the aviary," Clow stated. "Next to it is the cobbler, where I'll get you some shoes later on."

Syaoran nodded and kept nodding, figuring that he wasn't going to get an answer to any questions he had until later on. This disappointed him, but he kept following anyway. He couldn't help but wonder what this man was expecting of him. He was only nine years old. What did he know about selling anything? His mother did all the shopping. He didn't even know what food cost! He didn't even know how to count money.

At the edge of town there was a forest that Clow mentioned. It was thick and green with strange tree's that he didn't understand. There was a dirt path that opened up and moved through the forest. They began to journey through the young Syaoran's eyes wandered through the forest, and some of the animals with delight

There was a snap from above and something fell to the ground with a loud thunk. He turned and looked at a large brown object on the ground. He had seen these on the beach earlier. He hurried over and picked it up. It had what looked like thick fur on it, with the feel of hay to it. He looked at it questionably and looked back at Clow who seemed amused.

"That's a coconut," he stated. "Instead the hard shell there was a coconut milk and a white substance that is edible. These are palm trees."

He looked at it with wonderment. He never imagined that there were fruits like this around. He was very interested in this fruit. So different that unique to him. "Come on, there is more near the aviary. You can try some once we settle you in."

Once again they were on their way. Once they moved over a hill he could see a building in the distance. Or, at least it was shaped like a building. A glass building. It was clear everywhere that he could see, and it was full of more plants and trees that were uniquely different than he had ever seen before. As they neared he could see birds flying around inside, and what looked like a river that ran throughout the entire aviary. Syaoran couldn't help but stare, his mouth agape and his eyes wide with amazement. He just kept his eyes on the unusual building as they grew closer. He was surprised as the building and what is housed.

"What is this place?"

"This is the aviary. We have the most beautiful creatures known to man here. They are protected and taken care of here. Most of them are birds, but we have lots of other animals here as well. Here you'll help protect them."

"Why me?"

"Only those who are purely innocent can step foot in here," Clow explained.

Syaoran didn't understand anything that Clow was telling him. He was hard to understand and he often confused him when he spoke. He couldn't help but wonder and feel that he perhaps didn't know just how he was speaking to him. In some ways, Syaoran thought that he knew he was speaking to him. Perhaps he was confusing him on purpose. Did he want him to think about it, and learn for himself? To figure things out as he went? Or did he just not want Syaoran to know?

They came to the front gate. It was made of steel bars and it held no glass and was open to the air, and there was only a small latch for a lock. Clow flicked it open, letting the confused child in ahead of him. Moving inside, Syaoran took in the sight before him. The palm trees were everywhere, and there were several different bushes of flowers and a variety of berry bushes everywhere. Tall grass lined and grew near the banks of the river.

"Good morning Master Clow," a female voice called. Syaoran turned to the direction the voice had come from. When his eyes stopped on a form in the river, his eyes went wide and he took a step back in surprise.

There, sticking out of the river, half stretched out on the banks was a girl. Her hair was long, black and wet, and clung to her body in all directions. She stared at him curiously, with a bright smile. Syaoran couldn't take the time to notice the smile however. His eyes were glued to her nude body. Her upper torso was bare, flat and held no nipples like a human did. Her hips held a womanly shaped, but that wasn't the strangest. She had no legs, but the long body looked like it was the body of an eel, and the fin fanned out in all directions and colors.

"Hello there," she greeted him; her eyes stopped on him as she greeted him. "I'm Meiling."

"You're a mermaid!"

"Siren," she corrected. "Mermaids have greyish skin and have human female breasts. And they can't sing, while I can."

Syaoran still couldn't get over the sight of this girl in front of him. A siren, here of all places. He couldn't believe this. What were the chances of a siren being here?

"Meiling is the keeper of the river. She looks after all the creatures that live in the river. You'll be working together very often."

"What's your name?" Meiling asked.

"Syaoran Li," he answered.

"We'll see you again soon; I'm going to introduce him to the rest of the garden," Clow stated.

"Have a nice day Master Clow, and it was nice meeting you, Syaoran," Meiling smiled.

He lightly waved, but he also quickly moved to keep up with Clow. He still couldn't believe that he had just seen a mythical creature. A creature of the stories his mother use to tell him. He followed Clow who was looking up at the tree tops. He didn't see anything up there. Up ahead there was a small cabin, and it was all in darkness. It looked run down and like it hadn't been used in years. Moving closer he realized just how over run the cabin actually was with wild growth.

"This is where you'll be living. It's a little run down, but I'm sure you can fix it up on the inside. I'll send some villagers to help you with the outside."

"This is where I'll live?" he asked. With how run down the place was, it looked rather creepy. Scary, like a place where the local witch would live. He didn't like it, but he couldn't deny Clow's kindness. He knew there weren't too many people that could actually give someone a place to live.

"Yes, it's the perfect size for just one person," Clow answered. "It has a water pump inside that I'm sure still works."

"Yes, it's the perfect size for just one person," Clow answered. "It has a water pump inside that I'm sure still works."

Syaoran didn't know what to make of this place at all. He didn't know what Clow expected from him. He was only nine years old. He was an uneducated child. He never went to school, but his mother had. She had taught him all he needed to know. He could read and write. Not that he had done a lot of either. His mother and him were poor, and they couldn't afford many books, or any paper. Most of that he did read was stories out of the bible. That was all that they really did own, and so that was what his dear mother used to teach him to read.

"Clow!" another female voice called. This one was much softer than Meiling's. It was gentle, caring and somewhat bubbly with excitement. With a glance, Syaoran could see a girl climbing down from a palm tree. She wore a pure white dress that went to her knees. It was sleeveless and only had straps to hold it up. Her hair was a light brown and was cut short, almost like a boy's cut.

"How are you Sakura?" Clow asked as the girl ran toward him. She hugged him tightly when she reached him, and revealed to Syaoran a small pair of wings on her back. They were tiny, no larger than the size of a fully grown man's hands perhaps. A closer glance showed that they were attached to her actual back, and not her dress. Syaoran's mouth hung open in real surprise.

"Sakura, I want you to meet someone," Clow spoke as they parted. He turned to look at Syaoran. "This is Syaoran. He's the new garden keeper. Syaoran, this is Sakura, the keeper of the animals."

Syaoran was staring at her curiously. She stared back at him. He was unsure what to make of her. She seemed to be a few years older than him, and she was strange to him. The wings confused him the most. Too small for her to fly, and yet they were there. What purpose were they for? She seemed to notice him staring at her wings, and she blushed, and moved her body at an angle away from his sight. She clearly didn't like people staring at her wings.

"Nice to meet you," she finally answered. He was unsure what to make of her. She stayed away from him, and stayed very close to Clow. And Clow put an arm around her before he gently pushed her forward. She did, and slowly reached her hand out. He did the same and they shook her hands. They let go and she looked up at Clow, who smiled at her. "How are the birds doing up there?"

"Very well. Some of the bell-birds eggs have began hatching," Sakura stated.

"Excellent news," Clow replied. "I have to finish showing Syaoran around, so why don't you get to work and I'll continue to show him around."

"Alright," she replied. She gave him another quick hug, and then disappeared into the thick brush of trees. Syaoran was left confused and more curious about the girl. He looked back at Clow, who smiled and pointed out to the next direction they were going to head in. There was a path through those three's and they headed in that direction. Judging from the glass wall that Syaoran could see on the other side, he knew they must be getting closer to the edge of the aviary.

As they got through the path, Syaoran could see that they were at the edge of the aviary. There was another gate; this one lead out to a field behind the aviary. He came to a halt when he reached the gate, and watched as Clow opened it for him and then exited out into the field. Syaoran stayed close to Clow as he took him further into the field. It was filled with all tall grass, making it hard to see anything. Until something white caught his eye. A creature stood from the grass, and then another, and soon even more joined them. Syaoran's mouth dropped open. Large, beautiful horses rose from the grass and began to herd closer to the group. They were all different shades and colors of horses, only they looked much larger. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. And even more so as they neared the two. Not only were they horses, but they all had one horn on their heads.

"Unicorns," Syaoran breathed.

Clow smiled when he noticed Syaoran's delight. "They are all over the island, but this is where they gather each and every day. One of your jobs will be to help Sakura with caring for the pregnant mothers. She will need an assistant, and as you can imagine, Meiling wouldn't be a very good choice. Not today she isn't a good worker, because is excellent.

"I-I don't know anything about child birth," Syaoran answered. He felt instantly nervous that he was being trusted with something so important.

"Do not worry; all you will be doing is getting Sakura the things she needs. You'll be running errands. Soon you won't even need her to tell you what to do, you'll know and just get it for her," Clow answered. "You're a very caring young boy, and you're mother made sure of that. You will be great."

Syaoran slowly nodded, though he didn't know what to make of what Clow was trying to tell him. The two made it back to the cabin, where Clow opened up the door for him. Once inside, the smell of thick dust filled his lungs, causing him to begin to have a sneezing fit. Clow moved past him and quickly opened up all the windows in the cabin, letting the dust clear out little by little. Clow recovered a bucket and a cloth by the sink, where the water pump was. He put the bucket in the sink, under the mouth of the pump. He placed the cloth next to it before he turned to Clow.

"I have to leave now. I have to get you some shoes, and get some men in town to come and fix this place up for you. I'll be back by lunchtime, until then, clean up a little in here and rearrange the place to your liking," Clow explained.

Syaoran only nodded and knowing what else to say or do. He watched as Clow left the cabin, and disappeared down the path. When alone, Syaoran looked down to the floor and let some tears roll down his cheeks.


End file.
